Decontamination
by Jr4219
Summary: As the team searches for an unsub on a mission to decontaminate the city, their ability to finish the job will come into question when they are forced to face a personal tragedy.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer - I unfortunately do not own any of these wonderful characters!_

...

It was early on Thursday morning. From his office Aaron Hotchner looked up from the newest case file to see members of one of the FBI's best BAU teams slowly filing in. Though he has a reputation for being all business, he was fond of watching his team commiserating on quiet mornings like this before a case was announced. They gathered around their desks in the bullpen, coffees in hand, sharing stories and light banter.

Hotch, as Aaron was respectfully nicknamed, brought his attention back to the file on his desk containing a case happening in Vegas, which also happened to be the hometown of the youngest on his team, Spencer Reid. Aaron was always apprehensive about getting involved in cases near areas familiar to any of them. Perhaps it all came back to the time Derek Morgan, another on his team, had been wrongly accused of a crime in his old neighborhood in Chicago. In the end, the right man was charged, but not without taking an emotional toll on Morgan.

Hotch quickly shook off his uneasiness, gathered the papers and headed out into the bullpen to call together the team.

...

Penelope Garcia stood before the seasoned profilers in one of her signature, colorful outfits. As always, Garcia was a welcoming contrast to the dark work the team handles day to day.

"Alright, my pretties, today you are off to the city that never tells its secrets - let's hope you can get around that. As of Tuesday, five people have been found murdered near the Vegas strip. Cause of death for all has been from stab wounds, but they also appear to have been tortured before this." Garcia brought up photos of all the victims at the crime scenes, while avoiding glancing at the screen herself.

"Each one was found around two days after they were believed to have gone missing. Time between the murders has varied between 2-3 weeks. The first three victims were prostitutes," Garcia continued. She used her remote to show two headshots.

"Shelia McCormick, 21 and Tracy Smith, age 18. The third poor girl has not yet been identified, therefore, no before photo. Now for the other two...this is Marian Thompson, age 26 and mother of two young boys. She had been in and out of rehab twice and was arrested recently for drug possession. She went missing three weeks ago and was found in an alley behind a local restaurant." A mugshot of a young woman who had seen better days flashed up on the screen.

Garcia clicked again and the image of middle-aged man joined Marian. "And this is Carl Masterson - 34. He was married with a teenage daughter. He had just gotten out on bail after being arrested for child abuse. Carl disappeared this past Saturday and was found on Monday, left behind a gentleman's club."

"This could very well be someone who thinks they're cleaning up society by killing these people," Morgan said. "Prostitutes, a drug addict and an abuser."

"Are they sure these are all by the same unsub? I know Vegas sees its fair share of homicides," Emily Prentiss pointed out.

Spencer sped through reading the ME reports. "Each one was stabbed multiple times and the evidence of torture is pretty severe. All of them are covered with burns, cuts and deep bruising. Looking at the details of all the wounds, they're pretty consistent among all the victims."

"Let's finish this conversation on the plane so we can get moving. Wheels up in 30," Hotch told the team as he rose from the table.

"Oh, and let me know if you need any help after you've solved the case. I would be more than happy to fly out to Vegas for a night or two to help you gather your things!" Garcia offered.

"Mama, you can join me in Vegas anytime!" Morgan said with a wink.

...

Across the country, a man sat enjoying a drink at a bar watching a local news report. "...The latest victim was found on Monday. Las Vegas police have invited in the FBI to assist with the investigation..."

_I suppose I should be flattered,_ he thought. This new development was irritating, and, though he hated admitting it, made him a little uneasy. The Vegas police he could handle. An FBI team coming in from the outside might be a problem.

The man finished his beer, threw a few dollars on the bar and walked out the door._ I guess I'll have to figure out a way to throw them off their game. Time to do a little investigating of my own, _he thought with a grin.

...

**Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Hope to have chapter two up soon...**


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy! First time writing a little "profiling" so I hope it sounds ok._

...

By early afternoon, the BAU arrived at the Vegas police station handling the case. Through the darkened windows of a vehicle parked nearby, a man analyzed his competition. Since hearing last night that the FBI had been called in, he had used his connections and resources to find out who exactly was taking the case. This group of profilers had made quite a name for themselves.

As they exited the two SUVs, the man reviewed what he had learned about each one. The first one was the unit chief, Aaron Hotchner - a father and fairly recent widower. He had found his story particularly interesting. Apparently his wife was killed by a murderer the team had been chasing a little less than a year ago. With his stern presence, the agent looked like he hadn't cracked a smile since.

Ah, now he saw David Rossi - someone whose written work the man had admired for some time. He could see the confidence in Rossi's demeanor that he imagined came from both his upbringing as well as his impressive track record in profiling serial killers.

Derek Morgan came next followed by Emily Prentiss. The man had read some intriguing information on Agent Morgan, wrongly accused of murder in Chicago. He was certainly the muscle on the team, although Emily, as attractive as she was, appeared as though she could hold her own. She had only been on the team for a few years, but he imagined she had seen her fair share of questionable activity while traveling worldwide throughout her childhood with her mother, apparently a U.S. Ambassador.

Spencer Reid came around the car, appearing to slightly favor one leg. The man was quite fascinated by the Las Vegas native and reported genius. He had read a news story of the agent having been kidnapped by a suspect and held for two days a few years back. Taking in the way he carried himself, the man suspected there was more to him than what the man was able to dig up.

Finally - the beautiful Jennifer Jareau, the last of the team to head towards the station. Always a fan of blondes, the man had been looking forward to seeing the media liaison in person after watching several of her press conferences. He watched as she stepped behind Reid, touching the back of his arm affectionately. The man had sensed a closeness between the team members, but had found out a special attachment between these two - Reid being the godfather of Jennifer's child.

The man watched as the door closed behind the agents. He would have to see them in action to decide his next step. He needed to discover which of their strengths he had to take out and their weaknesses that could break them. His work was too important to end, and he was determined not to let anyone stand in his way.

...

Spencer Reid felt a twinge in his knee as he stepped through the door of the station. Though he had been off of his cane for a while since he was shot in the knee, sometimes he still felt an ache left behind.

"Are you alright?" asked Jennifer, aka JJ, as she saw Reid sway a bit. Reid bit back a sigh. As much as he loved his fellow teammates, the coddling he felt he received sometimes being the youngest was a little embarrassing. "I'm fine, JJ. Just getting old," he replied with a small smile. Seeing her skeptical look, he explained, "Sometimes rapid changes in weather affects my knee...such as going from 28 and snowing in Quantico to 72 and sunny in Vegas."

"You're right, you are getting old," she conceded. JJ looked around and saw a man and a woman approaching the team. She made her way to the front of the group and held out her hand to the two. "You must be Detectives Hernandez and Jensen," she said and then introduced herself and the rest of the team.

"Thank you for coming," said Detective Hernandez. He appeared to be in his 50s, had dark hair mixed with gray and seemed very down-to-business. "We have you set up in one of our conference rooms. Let me show you the way."

As they walked towards the back of the station, Detective Jensen filled them in on everything they had collected so far. "We have identified all of the victims with the exception of the third body found. All we know is she has been seen working out on the strip by other prostitutes and goes by the name 'Sugar'. We've set you up with the board as requested. We also have out copies of all the victims' files including ME reports as well as the reports on the dump sites." Despite being quite a bit smaller and younger than Hernandez, Jensen exuded just about as much confidence.

As they walked in the conference room, Hernandez addressed the group, "Anything you need while you're here let us know. Any of the officers should be willing to assist you as well." He turned and left them to their work. Jensen looked down and gave a shake of her head.

"Are we missing something, Detective Jensen?" Hotch asked.

"Just as a warning, don't expect all of the officers to go above and beyond to assist," she said quietly. "I had to fight quite a bit to have you invited in. While everyone in this station believes in the American justice system, there are some here that tend to look the other way depending on the type of victim."

"Unfortunately, it's not something we haven't seen before, but thank you for letting us know," JJ told her.

"I'll leave you to it then," Jensen said as she left the room.

...

Hotch had sent out most of the team out to interview the victims' families while he had Reid working on the geographic profile and looking for new information in the files.

By mid afternoon, the profilers were all back at the station exchanging information.

"We just met with Marian Thompson's mother. Apparently she has been fighting drug addiction since she was in her teens. She had just been arrested a month ago, but was let go on a technicality," Morgan explained.

From Reid's sudden change in facial expression they knew he was thinking something. He quickly reviewed the files and began writing down numbers on the board.

"What are you thinking, Reid?" Rossi asked.

"Hold on," he said, jotting down more numbers. "Ok, Tracy Smith was picked up for prostitution on February 22. She was let go and was believed to have gone missing a few days later, then her body was found on the 28th. When Marian Thompson was arrested, she was released the next day, March 6th. Her body was found March 10th, three days after she went missing. Now Carl Masterson - he was released on bail March 21st, then went missing 2 days later and was found on Monday."

"You know what this looks like, don't you?" Morgan asked the group.

"Someone in the justice system," Emily replied. After glancing up from the case files at Morgan, she could see that's where he was going with it. "Tracy and Marian both came in contact with law enforcement and were released without punishment," she paused. "Carl was out on bail though. He still had a court case coming up so it's not like he was just let go."

"There's more to his story, though. JJ and I met with Carl's wife, Tonya," explained Rossi. "She believed the lives of her and her daughter were at risk as they were the ones who called the cops on him. They raised their concerns, hoping he would be denied bail, but were ignored. After his release, Carl apparently showed up at the house and threatened them. The police were called again, this time by the neighbors. When they showed up, Carl was asked to leave, but wasn't taken in."

JJ continued the story, "And according to Tonya, she believes some of the officers are taking bribes from people to avoid being arrested, Carl being one of them. She said it's not the first time it's happened."

"So we may be looking at someone in the court system or police department," Hotch stated. "Which stations were the victims originally detained?"

"Besides a previous arrest for Sheila in another district, they all came through this station," Reid answered with a frown.

Hotch rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Alright, I'm sure you all realize at this point that any communication about the case with people working in this station needs to be extremely limited. Morgan, call Garcia and see if she can get us information on everyone in this station. And have her look to see if anyone in the court system had ties to two or more of these cases. Tell her to pay special attention to males between the ages of 20 to 40."

"You got it," Morgan replied, pulling his phone out to complete his task.

...

Sitting in his vehicle, the man seethed with rage. He listened to every word the pretentious profilers said to each other, thanks to the mics he had slipped into the room before their arrival._ They were going to ruin all his work! Important work that brought justice to those contaminating society! _They were making much faster progress than he anticipated and he would have to work just as quickly if he was going to stop them in their tracks.

...

The man crept quietly into the darkened room. Adrenaline pumped through his body, making him tremble with excitement as he approached the bed. He brushed a gloved hand lightly over the blond hair of his sleeping prey. He pulled out a knife and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Time to wake up, sweetheart. I have work to do."

...

_That's it for chapter two. Time to start working on the next one..._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry it's been so long! Life got in the way. Hopefully I can keep updating the story now without too much delay in between. Let me know what you think and as always, I don't own any of these wonderful characters.**_

_**...**_

In the middle of a dead sleep, Hotch woke suddenly. With a glance at the hotel's bedside table, he saw it was just after 5 AM. A sound startled him and he realized what had woken him up. He reached over and grabbed his phone. "Agent Hotchner," he answered.

"Agent Hotchner, this is Detective Jensen. Sorry to wake you so early, but another victim has been found."

"So soon? It's only been four days," he said, uneasiness evident in his voice.

"We thought the same. We're headed over there now. The site is only a block from the station behind an apartment complex on Alta Dr.," Jenson replied.

"Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can," Hotch said, ending the call. He climbed out of bed, fighting his body's desire to stay there. He debated waking the whole team and decided against it. They worked until late last night and figured he and Rossi could check out the crime scene, and the remaining team members could join them shortly.

He contacted Rossi as he gathered his clothes, reaching him on the fourth ring. "A call this early is never good," Rossi answered.

"No, it's not. A new victim was found…one block from the station," Hotch replied.

"Sounds like this was meant for us," Rossi said.

"That's what I was thinking," Hotch said with a sigh. "Mind heading over there with me before we wake the rest of the team?"

"I think I could do that. Just give me 15 minutes and I'll meet you in the lobby."

"Thanks," Hotch said hanging up.

Ten minutes later Hotch entered the lobby. Glancing around he spotted a familiar figure at a table in the darkened dining room. "Morgan," he said, approaching his fellow agent.

Morgan looked up from his phone in surprise. "Hotch, what are you doing up so early?"

"I could ask you the same," Hotch replied with touch of disapproval in his voice. Before Morgan could speak, he continued, "Detective Jensen called – another body was found, one block from the station."

Morgan frowned. "It's only been a few days. And so near the station…"

"Exactly. I called Rossi. He's meeting me down here soon. I planned on letting the rest of you catch up on a little more sleep, but since you're up already, you might as well join us."

Everyone had planned on getting back to the station by 7 AM. Hotch sent a text to the remaining team members to meet them at the scene instead when they got going.

Once Rossi joined them, they headed out to the SUV.

...

Though it was a large apartment complex, the agents easily found the scene in the alley directly behind the buildings, surrounded in flashing lights.

They climbed out of the SUV and surveyed the scene. Local PD were at work, taping off areas of interest and setting a perimeter. They spotted Detectives Jensen and Hernandez with a few other officers just as Jensen waved them over.

Hernandez addressed them first. "Agents, thank you for coming."

"What do we have so far?" Hotch asked.

"Well," Hernandez answered, eyes roaming over the scene, "about 4 AM a call came into the station from the apartments. A midnight shift janitor came outside to grab a smoke. He spotted something over next to the dumpster and went to check it out. He apparently got quite the shock when he saw what it was."

"Victim is female," Jensen told the agents. "From what we could see, there are stab wounds, but we didn't see any obvious signs of torture. Doesn't mean the ME won't find any."

Hernandez looked up behind the agents. "CSI just got here." They all turned to see the investigators unloading their equipment.

Morgan left Hotch and Rossi to continue their talk with the detectives and wandered over closer to the body. The woman was left naked, tossed out by the trash without any noticeable signs of remorse. Staying far enough away so as not to disturb any evidence, he squatted down to see her face.

Morgan suddenly felt like his heart stopped and he had to quickly scramble back to his feet to keep from falling towards the crime scene. All he could do was stare in shock, the terrible implications of what lay before him raced through his head.

The sound of car doors brought him back to reality and panic swelled in his chest. The remainder of his team had arrived, talking amongst themselves. Morgan quickly made his way back to his boss and the detectives.

"Hotch!" he said as he neared them. Hotch glanced over and put up his hand, signaling him to give him a minute and turned back to the detectives. Knowing it couldn't wait, Morgan pulled Hotch aside from the group by his arm. Ignoring the surprised and reprimanding look, Morgan tried to explain, but found himself struggling to say the words.

"Hotch…the victim…you need to get Reid out of here!"

Hotch was growing concerned with the clear distress Morgan was in. "Morgan, calm down. What's going on?"

Morgan quickly took a breath and tried again. "The victim…it's Diana Reid."

Hotch's mind didn't want to comprehend what Morgan was telling him. "What?"

"It's Reid's mom," Morgan stressed, tears now gathering in his eyes as the truth of those words hit home.

Hotch froze for a moment before his brain kicked back in. Without processing what he was doing, he turned towards the victim, needing to confirm this nightmare for himself. But before he could take a step, Morgan reached out to stop him. "Hotch! Reid can't see this!"

Trying his best to think rationally, Hotch nodded to Morgan and stepped towards the team members headed their way.

...

Forty-five minutes earlier, Spencer sat in his hotel room with coffee in hand reading over a file he had stashed in his bag last night. Sleep was always hit or miss with him, and last night was a miss. He was awake by 3 AM, unable to return to a blissful slumber.

His phone suddenly binged and he saw the text come through from Hotch to meet him, Morgan and Rossi at the crime scene. Feeling the need to do something, Reid decided to see if the girls happened to be awake and sent them a quick text.

Moments later, one came through from Emily. "Well I wasn't awake, but guess I am now. You're lucky I like you, Reid." Hers was quickly followed by JJ's – "I'm awake. Could you two be ready to go in 15 minutes?"

They all agreed to meet in the lobby shortly. Once all three agents made their way downstairs, they grabbed some coffee and walked out to their SUV.

"This can't be a good sign being so soon after the last one," Emily said on the ride over.

"No," Reid agreed. "And it's a block away from the police station. He might be using this as a warning for us, causing him to break his normal pattern."

Soon they were pulling up to the scene. They parked nearby and climbed out.

JJ stopped them before they moved on, quietly cautioning the other two, "We're going to really have to watch what we say out here. If the unsub is someone who works at the station, we can't be too careful."

"I may be known to ramble a bit when I have a thought in my head, but I can control it sometimes," Reid replied with a slight smile to JJ.

JJ lightly slapped Reid on the arm and rolled her eyes. "Come on. Hotch is heading this way."

As Hotch approached them, JJ spoke up. "Hey Hotch, we came over as soon as we could. What have we got?"

It took Hotch a minute, glancing behind him first, before he replied. "Female victim, found out back behind the apartments," he said, trying to get control of his reactions.

"Everything alright?" Reid asked. Knowing Hotch for so long only added to their profiler abilities to see something was off.

"Yes," Hotch replied, making the mistake of glancing up to Reid's eyes and instantly felt deflated. He knew the devastating impact this would have on his agent, his friend.

Shaking his head and looking away, he got it together. "Yes, sorry," He sighed. "I'd like you all to go ahead over to the station and start on the files Garcia sent over last night on those who work at the station."

"Alright," Emily said hesitantly. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yes. I'm fine. As soon as we're done here, we'll get together at the station and go through what all we've found."

Reluctantly the three team members turned back towards their vehicle as Hotch walked back over to Morgan.

"Am I the only one that felt something wasn't quite right back there?" JJ asked.

"No, there's definitely something on his mind," Emily replied.

Reid was about to comment when his phone rang. Knowing how early in the day it was, he frowned seeing Bennington Sanitarium show on his caller ID, his mother's current residence.

"This is Dr. Reid," he answered.

"Dr. Reid, this is Dr. Norman from Bennington Sanitarium."

"Hi Doctor. Is everything alright with my mom?" Reid answered with concern in his voice.

"Actually, I'm sorry to say I don't know. About an hour ago, a nurse was doing her rounds checking the rooms, and found Diana's room empty."

"And you have no idea where she's gone?" Reid asked. JJ and Emily had stopped to listen in to Reid's side of the conversation.

"We've been looking everywhere and questioning all of the staff and residents. I'm sorry to say we don't know at the moment. She was in her room as of 9 PM last night. If we don't find her shortly, we will be contacting the local police to help us," Dr. Norman explained.

"I'm actually in the city myself. I'm going to head over there to help," Reid said, clearly on edge.

Dr. Norman quickly replied, "Oh I'm so glad you're nearby. Yes, you know her so well - your help would be greatly appreciated."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Reid quickly hung up. "Can you take me over to Bennington? My mother is missing."

Having already figured that out from what they'd overheard, JJ didn't hesitate to respond, "Of course, let's go."

Reid had opened the door when he glanced towards the crime scene. He saw Hotch speaking closely to Morgan, with his head hanging down. Rossi had joined them and Reid saw look of deep concern come across his face.

Suddenly it all clicked. His mother missing. This murder being so soon after the others, so close to the police station – a message for them. The clear agitation and discomfort in Hotch's demeanor.

"No, it can't be…" he whispered. He could feel his pulse start to race and was finding it hard to breath. He let go of the door and ran back towards the alley.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Sorry again for the delay! This chapter was hard to write. And I apologize, ahowell1993. Hope no one is too mad at me! I know Diana is a touchy character and it's going to be hard on Reid. We'll have to see how he and the team all handle it…**_

**_Thank you so much to everyone for the reviews! Always appreciate the feedback and as always, I don't own any of these wonderful characters._**

…

He had been there to see the officers soon after they arrived, mulling about, prepping the area as a crime scene. He soon grew impatient, practically vibrating with anticipation of the chaos this alley might eventually devolve into. Glancing over at the body, he smirked with satisfaction. With this victim, he had not only erased another drain on society, but had also tossed a grenade into the minds of the FBI's BAU.

After listening to the team trying to profile him the day before, he had angrily set out to find the best way to derail them. He had to do something big, something that would completely rattle them.

The blonde agent had been the man's first thought. Having her under his control was terribly enticing, and her showing up dead would definitely throw them off balance. But it wouldn't be following his mission. From the limited research he'd done, she seemed to be clean.

When he got back home, he decided he needed to expand his list of prospects. The first profiler he delved deeper into was one who grew up here in Vegas, Dr. Spencer Reid. He thought there might be some connection still on his home turf he could use against them.

He found the father first – a lawyer at a local firm. After digging through his records and history, there wasn't much negative he could find on him.

He turned his efforts to Mrs. Reid. The more he researched, the more excited he became. A mental patient, too delusional to care for herself, wasting away in a sanitarium. He had just found the perfect distraction. Let the chaos begin.

…

Hotch had walked back to Morgan, still in a daze. He glanced back at Reid, JJ and Prentiss, relieved to see they were headed towards the car.

"What are we going to do with this?" Morgan asked as Hotch neared, concern evident in his voice.

Hotch rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache starting in his temple.

"Can someone fill me in on what's going on?" Rossi inquired as he stepped over to join them. Morgan looked to Hotch to take the lead.

With a deep sigh, Hotch met Rossi's eyes. "The victim…it's Reid's mother."

A rare look of shock covered Rossi's face as he tried to take in the news. "And you didn't tell him, I take it," he said after a few moments.

"No," Hotch sternly replied. "The last thing we need is for him to find out who it is while still at the crime scene." A pained look crossed his face as he flashed back to his own tragic loss. It had been less than a year ago that he had held a loved one, his ex-wife Hailey, shortly after a vindictive murderer had taken her life. The fact that Reid was going to go through that pain and guilt was almost too much.

Hotch was momentarily lost in his thoughts until loud voices caught his attention. He looked around for the source and found a nightmare unfolding.

…

Reid stumbled his way back up to the crime scene, feeling a rush of adrenaline pour though him. His only goal was to see the victim, to see that it wasn't her. He needed to see that he was overreacting - maybe she just had an episode and was hiding somewhere back at Bennington.

She had done that before a few times when he was young, coming home after school to a dark and seemingly empty home. Once after almost an hour of frantic searching, he had found her curled under an upside-down laundry bin in the back of a closet in the basement. It seemed to take forever to calm her enough to let him lead her out.

The nearer he got, the harder it was to move his feet forward against the rough pavement. It was almost as if his body was holding him back to protect him, but soon enough the body was within his sight. Fearfully peering between the officers and CSI team moving about, he could just see the top of the victim's head. He stared in disbelief at the sandy waves of hair blowing lightly in the breeze coming through the alley. The same color of blonde hair he had leaned against when he was young, warm and cozy on his mother's bed, listening to his favorite stories.

A gasp hitched in his throat while his hand covered his mouth. "No.." he choked out, feeling a sob rack through his body as his stomach clenched like a fist. He moved slowly closer. Soon he could make out enough of her face to confirm his worse fear had come true.

"Oh my god, no," he said, shaking his head from side to side, trying to deny what his eyes were seeing.

As another sob shook him and nausea started to seep in, so did a barrage of dark thoughts.

_How can she be gone? It's been months since the last time I saw her and now...I never had the chance to say goodbye, to tell her I loved her and how proud I am to be her son!_

_She didn't deserve this. God, I'm so sorry, mom. This is all my fault! If I had never left you and gone into the FBI, you would never have been in danger._

_In danger...oh my god, the unsub...what did he do to her? Was she in a lot of pain? Did she even know and understand what was happening to her?_

A moment later, through his daze, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A man with the CSI team was moving towards his mother. The realization that she was naked crashed down on Spencer and the need to protect her surged through him.

…

Years ago, while most of the team slept on the jet returning from a case, Hotch had overheard a quiet phone conversation coming from a dark corner of the plane. He hadn't really been trying to eavesdrop, but the highly intelligent Spencer Reid had only joined the team a few weeks ago and the unit chief still questioned the readiness of his young subordinate.

Though he was speaking softly, Hotch could hear the authority in his voice. He could also hear concern. His brow furrowed in confusion as he listened. Reid seemed to be questioning someone's medications and treatment. After a short break in the discussion, Hotch was surprised to hear him say hello to his mother. A lengthy conversation ensued ... sometimes with gentle arguments, sometimes pleading … but the patience and understanding coming from Reid's side of the conversation stuck out to Hotch. Qualities that are learned through years of experience.

The following day in the office, Hotch did some research on Diana Reid. He discovered she was at Bennington's, placed there by her son at the age of 18 after being plagued with paranoid schizophrenia for 11 years. Curious why Reid had been the one to place her there, he researched his father and found his address had changed when his son was 10. Had his father really left Reid alone with his sick mother at that young of age?

Hotch started seeing him in a different light. Though he always felt the innocence that Reid projected; he also saw someone wise beyond his years from his life experiences, granting him insights into people's minds that most would never have.

And he began to take notice the dedication and deep love Reid had for his mother; from the daily letters he wrote to the way he spoke about her. It was a bond strengthened through years of struggle and isolation as he grew up with her.

And now she was gone. What would do this do to him? If he can ever come to peace with this tragedy, will the loss of that bond set him free to thrive or would he collapse, like a flag cut from its cords?

…

When Hotch turned, he saw two of the officers holding Reid back while another stood between him and his mother, trying to reason with a man who had none at the moment. Hotch raced over to them, with Morgan right on his heels.

"Agent, you have to stay away from the crime scene," one of the officers said forcefully, addressing Reid.

But Reid continued to try and pull himself free, shouting at them as he fought to get through. "Get them away from her! No one touch her!"

Hotch had never seen Reid like this. Pure rage was radiating off of him, determined to get to his mother. Morgan moved behind Reid, taking over for one of the officers, while Hotch touched his arm and tried to make eye contact, calling out his name.

Reid continued to cry out against them, but this voice was slowly being overtaken with sobs that racked through his body. He finally realized that Hotch was there and reached out, clutching at his arms.

"Hotch, Hotch, you have to get them away from her," he begged desperately, tears cascading down his cheeks. "Please...she, she has no clothes on," he said, ending in a near whisper. "They can't be near her like this. Please, she needs a blanket. I need to cover her."

Hotch briefly closed his eyes and tried to hold back his own emotions. The pleas coming from Reid broke his heart, and he felt terribly guilty even before he spoke the words he had to say. Deep down, he knew Reid understood what the CSI team needed to do for their jobs, and any covering placed on Mrs. Reid could drastically contaminate the crime scene.

"Reid, I'm so sorry. But we need to stay back and let them do what they have to do." Hotch could feel Reid's fingers shaking as they dug into his arms.

"No, no, Hotch, she needs me. I can't just leave her there. She needs to be covered...she needs me! I have to protect her."

"Reid ... if we're going to find the person who did this to her, you know we need to let them do their job, so we can do ours." As much as he fought it, he still felt his own tears burning in the corners of his eyes.

Reid's sobs became overwhelming and his legs gave out. Morgan and Hotch caught him as he fell and lowered him down. Reid wrapped his arms around his middle, crying harshly as Hotch gently rubbed his back.

Logic and reason battled with the pain and despair in Reid's mind. Yes, he knew what needed to be done at a crime scene like this. And knowing made it a hundred times more agonizing. He knew every sample, every test, every photo they would take. How many scenes just like this had he reviewed during his career? The last photos of his mother would be of this horrible ending, placed in office files and online databases.

He began to feel the nausea build as his stomach contracted, and his cries transformed into coughs and gags. A nearby officer noticed the change and quickly grabbed an empty box from his car. He placed it before the distraught agent just in time, getting a glimpse of the kid's breakfast as it came back up.

Hotch looked up and gave a nod towards the officers nearby. They warily moved to give them some room, but didn't stray too far. His eyes met Morgan's over their friend's shoulder. Morgan shook his head and sighed, unsure of how they were going to get him through this.

After several minutes, Reid stomach seemed to calm down. Hotch felt Reid's shoulders fall as he lost his strength to fight and sunk into mournful cries. He wrapped his arms around Reid, hoping to give him some support.

"It's my mom, Hotch," he heard from a muffled voice at this shoulder.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Reid," Hotch tried to console him.

...

Unsure of what was happening after Reid took off, JJ and Prentiss looked to Reid and then to their other male colleagues, who appeared to be in a stressful discussion next to a police car off to the side.

"What are we missing here?" Prentiss asked JJ.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good."

Their concern deepened when, like Hotch, their attention was brought back to Reid as they heard voices rising. They watched the two move towards the commotion, leaving Rossi behind.

Confused and uncertain what they should do, Emily grabbed JJ's arm and they hurried over to Rossi.

"What's the hell is going on?" Prentiss asked.

Rossi had been intently watching everything unfold and was startled hearing Prentiss's voice nearby. He turned towards them, surprised he hadn't heard them approaching. He hesitated, taking a moment to get his thoughts together. He hated to be the one to have to pass on such news.

"When Morgan went over to have a look at the scene and the victim, he realized he recognized her," he said. Both women stared back at him in surprise. He sighed, glancing back over to Reid before returning their gazes. "It's Diana Reid."

JJ gasped. "Oh my god," she said and Emily's mouth dropped open. They stood there in shock, staring blankly at Rossi.

After a moment, they turned back to see their remaining teammates huddled near the ground. Reid's whole body was rocking with sobs as Morgan and Hotch tried to do what they could to console him.

When JJ moved to go over to Reid, Rossi stopped her. "Give them some space, kiddo. He's going to need all of us to get through this, but I don't think we should overwhelm him right now."


	5. Chapter 5

Finally, another chapter! Thank you so much to everyone for your patience and for the reviews – I really appreciate your thoughts.

**PLEASE NOTE:** This chapter delves into Spencer's emotions as he starts to grasp the death of his mom. I know a lot of people are going through tough times right now with family and friends dealing with the coronavirus. Just wanted to warn you that this part is emotional. But our inner strength will help us all get through it. Take care everyone!

_PS alas, I don't own any of these wonderful characters._

…

With time, as Reid's sobs started to quiet, Hotch contemplated what to do next. Realizing he needs to leave Reid in the hands of others to get his head straight, he glanced over at Rossi and saw JJ and Prentis had joined him. Catching JJ's eye, Hotch gave a subtle gesture for her to join them. Without hesitation, JJ rushed over, pleased to be able to help comfort her friend. Giving Reid the best look of understanding he could, he rubbed his shoulder and stood, putting his trust in JJ and Morgan to take over.

With a shake of his head, Hotch made his way over to Rossi and Emily. The three stood silently together for a moment, still in shock themselves.

Finally, Rossi broke the silence. "Do you think there's a chance we can get Reid out of here anytime soon?"

"I don't know," Hotch replied with a sigh, glancing back at Reid. "I have a feeling he'll refuse to leave until they've finished up with her here and take her …" He stopped before mentioning the morgue, glancing away as flashes of Hailey's crime scene ran through his mind.

"Hotch, if you need to take a moment, I can handle some things here," Rossi said, knowing Hotch himself was still recovering from his loss.

"No, I'm fine," Hotch replied with some bite in his voice. "Sorry," he said in a quieter tone, glancing at Rossi. "I'm fine."

Taking a deep breath, Hotch continued. "Alright. If we can't get Reid to leave, maybe we can at least get him to sit in one of the SUVs so he's not seeing everything they're doing. Emily – can you go see if you can work with Morgan and JJ to accomplish that?"

"Of course," she said, nodding as she left on her assignment.

The two experienced profilers watched as Prentiss made her way over there.

"If they can do that," Hotch said, "I'd like your help in reviewing the crime scene with me."

"Anything you need me to do, I'm here," Rossi replied, patting Hotch's shoulder.

Soon after, Reid reluctantly allowed himself to be led to a nearby SUV. He sat inside, keeping the door open with friends close at hand, while Hotch and Rossi sadly did what they came there to do.

Time passed and eventually the CSI team and police had everything they needed. For as glad as the team was that they were done, the profilers had been dreading the moment that she would be taken away.

Spencer had spent much of that time in a daze, his mind jumping between everything in the past to everything soon to come. Seeing the CSI team loading up in the cars, he stirred, turning to look out the back to the crime scene.

"Are they done?" he asked, looking at his friends, his voice sounding rough.

"I think they're close," Morgan replied cautiously, glancing between his friend and the scene. He saw Hotch and Rossi slowly making their way towards them.

Reid climbed out of the car when they neared. "Are they done?" Reid asked again, this time to Hotch. Seeing the look on Reid's face, Hotch could only nod in reply.

"I need to see her," Reid pleaded. "Please, Hotch."

Hotch knew he couldn't refuse him. "Alight, but you know you have to keep your distance."

"I know."

"Come on. I'll go with you," Hotch said, gently reaching for his arm.

Reid seemed very unsteady as they walked, with Hotch keeping a light grip on the back of his arm. The farther they made it from the SUV to the crime scene, the more Hotch heard Reid's breathing increase, but his steps sped up as well.

As they reached Diana, Reid stopped and paused nearby, then slowly kneeled down before her. Hotch cautiously took a step back to give him a small sense of privacy, but kept within reach in case he was needed.

Spencer just felt overwhelmed. Here was the woman who had more impact on his life than anything else, gone in such a brutal way. "I'm so sorry, mom," he blurted out. He instinctively reached out to touch her, but caught himself before he went far. He pulled his hand back and brought it to his face as he cried. The guilt he felt in that moment outweighed everything else.

"This shouldn't have happened," he said, choking up. "I'm so sorry, I never meant for this to happen to you. It's all my fault!" He shuddered as the emotional pain coursed through him.

Hotch felt such a connection to Reid at that moment. He couldn't stand back and let him condemn himself as he had done with Hailey.

"Spencer," he said as he knelt next to him, placing his hand on his back. "No one understands your feeling of guilt more than me right now. But you have to believe it's not your fault. No matter how much you feel like you put her in this position, you didn't. Only the man who did this to her is guilty. That evil lies with him, not you."

He paused, hoping Reid was taking his words to heart. "She was so proud of you, Spencer, of the amazing person you are and of the work you've done to save so many."

Spencer had slowly quieted as Hotch spoke, trying to take in his words, though his soul cried out against them. He took a deep, shaky breath.

There was so much he wanted to tell her, hoping somewhere, somehow, she could hear him. After a short while, he spoke. "You probably know everything going through my head right now…'a mother knows'," Spencer said with the tinniest smile and a deep sigh.

"You mean so much to me," he continued. "You helped me grow in countless ways – from my love of books and thirst for knowledge, to my ability to analyze and solve problems." He paused. "…you helped me be independent," he added glancing down.

After a moment, he spoke again quietly. "What meant the most to me was the unwavering faith you had in me, and the love you showed. You gave me strength I never knew I had, helping me get through the hardest times in my life... helping me survive. And I will never be able to thank you enough for that."

He gazed down at his mother and remembered all the times she read to him in the quiet of her bedroom. His mind raced through decades of written words in his head and settled on one sentence.

"'Daughter, you will be very welcome to my father, and to my mother, and to all my saints in heaven, for you have given them to drink very many times with the tears of your eyes.'" Spencer quoted.

"If there is a God, he's waiting to bring you home," he said, blinking the tears from his eyes. "I love you, mom, more than you will ever know."

He paused before he looked at over at Hotch. "Margery Kempe…she was her favorite author."

He saw Hotch give him a hint of a smile. "That strength she gave you…she'll help you get through this, too."

Spencer bowed his head and gave a small nod. He looked back at his mother once more before slowly rising to his feet. With Hotch at his side, they made their way back to the vehicles.

The group remained until Diana was taken away. Not much was said, but the presence of his friends helped Spencer as the coroner and his team came in to do their job.


End file.
